


The Mask of a Hero

by Deimos_Ovid



Category: Hero Mask (Anime)
Genre: Eve Palmer Lives, F/M, Harry Creighton Lives, James gets a Mask, M/M, Olivia Burner Lives, Universe Alteration, don't expect updates, i do what i want when i want
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-30
Updated: 2020-05-09
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:14:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 3,933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23925970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Deimos_Ovid/pseuds/Deimos_Ovid
Summary: James Blood gets a mask, but his is different. It was a missing finalized version, one Julia and Gary Evans made. Not one made by LIVE corporation. Grimm stole it believing it to be made by Geffrey Connor, and forced James to intergrade with it.
Relationships: Harry Creighton/Eve Palmer, Lennox Gallagher/Monica Campbell, Richard Burner/Olivia Burner
Comments: 1
Kudos: 8





	1. And so it begins

**Author's Note:**

> This was made because I want to read the story I have written cause there wasn't one already made. I update if I feel like it and it is only fueled by 2-4 AM boredom.

“I would like to see James, please,” a man asked. There was something subtle weaved into his voice as he asked. As if there lies a grand joke that waited to be unveiled.

The officer working the reception desk felt unnerved by the undertone in the voice of the man. Looking up at him, his appearance left her feeling even more unsettled than before. He wore the hood of his white parka up and its decorative red fluff obscured part of his face. The rest of his face remained hidden underneath his platinum blond bangs and the downward incline of his head. However, his mouth remained visible. There lied a serpentine smile, delighted by something mischievous. Or more likely, an untold joke.

A nearby officer caught on to the receptionist’s discomfort and proceeded cautiously over to the two.

“He’s an SSC, I believe.” The unknown man stated.

“Oh well then,” the receptionist sputtered and promptly searched for any appointments an SSC agent might have made under the name of “James”.

“He doesn’t know I’m here.” The man said plainly with that undertone again.

The female looked up at him, nervously now and watched as the man’s smile grew wider.

“So…” The man began, “I wanted to drop in to surprise him. What floor is the SSC on?” Then he raised both hands to cover his face. Holding them there for a moment until they returned to his sides once more. However, the man’s face…changed. Looking back at the receptionist was not the face of a man, but _her_ face. Only the eyes were not quite right. They glowed a beautiful gold.

Fear trickled onto the face of the woman working the reception desk. The unknown man relished in her state of terror. He could practically feel his own pulse quicken with excitement to match that of the woman’s, although hers was caused by fear.

“Could you let me through the gate?” The man’s voice questioned as he leaned onto the counter, “You have a nice face.” It continued speaking, “Maybe you could model for me sometime.” A crazed look settled upon its face and bright orange gloved hands were gestured to emphasize its insanity.

The officer nearby finally decided to intervene upon seeing the fearful look of the receptionist. He placed his hand on the stranger’s should and asked,

“What’s the trouble?”

When the stranger turned their head to see where the arm originated, the officer startled at the almost identical face of the receptionist. Looking back and forth between the two in confusion. The stranger, however, had enough of being touched and a gloved hand withdrew a knife that he had hidden within his pocket. A swift swing of his arm and the blade drew across the officer’s throat. Blood spurted through the air and the officer fell back, dying.


	2. What it takes to get to the elevators

Meanwhile in the SSC office, Eddy relaxed at his desk in an attempt to power nap. After the adrenaline from James’ arrest and yelling at him for his unauthorized usage of the tracking bullets, Eddy was tired. His wake-up call came in the form of the SSC’s alarm system. He jolted up right in his chair and looked towards the alarm.

James and Lennox, who were in the room next to the open-plan computer room, look towards the alarm as well. Both were previously enjoying cups of coffee whilst James took a break from his paperwork.

Down below at the entrance of the building, bystanders were rushing out the doors, while Sarah rushed in. She had made a discovery when she was cleaning out Monica’s office earlier that night, and she hurried to tell the SSC agents about it. Only to be stopped by the chaos created from an unknown assailant killing an officer.

Sarah looked at the _woman_ wearing a white parka with a decorative hood. The attacker raised their free hand to their face and removed a piece of…paper? Unveiling a _man_ who gave the remaining bystanders a rictus smile.

“Amazing. Just simply amazing,” he said while flicking his wrist. The paper changed form, folding itself into an origami figure. Sarah froze where she stood because she had seen that paper figure before. _On Monica’s hidden photos_.

At this point officer slowly surrounded the man. A bold officer took a step closer with his gun trained on the stranger. Noticing the movement, the hooded figure lashed out, throwing his knife at the brazen officer, effectively killing him. The other officer near him was stunned, which gave the stranger enough time to grab the gun off of the first officer he killed. Then proceeded to shoot the stunned officers nearby.

The killer shot one in the shoulder and while the wounded officer reached to place pressure on his wound, the killer took him hostage. Slowly backing them up behind a building’s support beam. Successfully hiding the two of them from everyone’s point of view.

From the SSC office, even the surveillance cameras were blind as to what was happening.

“What is happening?” Chief Detective Lennox demanded when the assailant and officer disappeared from view.

However, James was staring intently at the attacker’s obstructed face until realization struck him.

“That guy!” He exclaimed before charging off towards the elevators. Ignoring Lennox shouting out to him.

Back downstairs however, the stranger shot down all the officers who attempted to come after him. Until the hostage officer came running away from the support beam. No one noticing the orange colored gloves as the officer ran towards the other officers. Those closest to the pillar arrived to find the hostage officer dead and missing his uniform.

Turning back to face the assumed escaped hostage, all watched as gloved hands again swiped at his face to unveil his true identity. With a rictus grin and another gun, the face-changing assailant killed the barricade of officers before charging towards the elevators. Killing four more policemen and then disappearing in an elevator car.

Sarah rushed to see which floor the man was stopping at before getting in a different car and riding to the same floor, the SSC offices. The memory of Monica’s death flashed into her mind, which only solidified her decision to pursue the killer. She picked up a dead officer’s gun and waited for an elevator car.


	3. Chapter 3

James stepped out of the elevator and rushed to get on the separate elevator that would take him to the building’s entrance. Only to stop short and turn to face an officer stepping out of an elevator car.

The platinum blond officer turned towards James as well, with a pleased look on his face.

“You.” James stated with disdain.

The man laughed to himself, amused to see James so worked up.

“James! James, James, James!” He exclaimed, throwing his arms up in the air.

“Is that you, Grimm?” James questioned, already knowing the answer.

“I came all this way for you. Aren’t you happy to see me?”

“You’re supposed to be dead.”

The two stared at each other for a moment after James spoke. Letting his words sink in as the two sized each other up.

“I just had to see you again, so I came back from the dead.” Grimm said as he accusingly pointed at James, “And it’s finally happening.”

Then Grimm flicked out the origami figure and raised it to his face.

 _A mask?_ James thought to himself. _Why is he wearing a mask now?_

His question was answered when the face looking back at him was his own. Identical in every way, except the eyes glowed gold for a moment until they too changed to match James’ blue eyes.

“What?” James gasped. Confusion and fear mixed across his face as he looked at the man that was once Grimm.

He moved into action however when the doppelganger started to charge. James pulled out his gun and shot the other in the leg. Stopping him for a second before he smiled and continued on with his charge. James stood his ground and kept the gun pointed at the attacker until the man kicked James in the chest. While falling from the assault James dropped his gun. Sitting up as fast as he could, James quickly fixed his eyes upon his copy.

“James, you give me inspiration.” It spoke, “This is a strange sight, isn’t it? Can you believe it?”

The thing questioned, while simultaneously James reached for his second firearm. Before the copy could react, James shot it between the eyes. The bullet should have killed the man, but its head snapped forward and James witnessed as the mask glitched out and the bullet remove itself from the wound. A gloved hand deftly caught the bullet.

“A GPS round, huh? This is how you caught me three years ago. Isn’t it?” The stranger asked with the knowledge that Grimm and himself would know.

“What?” _How could he know that unless he really is Grimm?_

The doppelganger tossed the bullet into the air and caught it once again before jumping into action. As he drew closer, James fired his gun once more, but the man dodged it and the following shot. Too close for comfort, James dove away from the man and quickly turned around to tackle the assailant. He drove both of them back until he pinned the man to the wall. James swiftly punched him in the stomach but was forced backwards from a headbutt. Disorientated, the copy used this to his advantage and returned James punches until he knocked James to the ground.

“What is that?” James asked about the mask.

Gloved hands swiped across their owners face and once again revealed Grimm, who laughed at the sight of James,

“Yes, yes, yes! That’s the face!” Relishing in James’ pain and anger contorted face, “oh, how I’ve dreamed of this. This day is finally here.”

Grimm pulled off his gloves with his teeth, if he was about to kill James then it needed to be done with his bare hands. He slowly stomped closer to James, a delirious look consuming his appearance. Only to stop short from James as a bullet embedded itself in the ground in front of Grimm’s feet.


	4. Chapter 4

Sarah stepped out of the elevator just in time to intervene between James and Grimm. She took aim and fired a warning shot. Grimm’s elated face changed to confusion. He looked up to see a breathless Sarah with a loaded gun trained on him.

“Sarah!” James shouted, hoping his tone of voice could warn her off.

“Why must you interfere with my process?” Grimm asked in annoyance before he walked past James towards Sarah.

Unwilling to let Grimm anywhere near Sarah, James kicked out his legs and knocked Grimm to the ground. James jumped to his feet and placed himself between Grimm and Sarah. Grabbing the gun from her, he quickly shot Grimm before the man could fire his own weapon. James shot the weak points in a bullet proof vest repeatedly until Grimm collapsed backwards.

“Oh, ouch.” Grimm said as he swayed to his feet, “That hurts, you know?”

Right before Grimm was about to attack the two, he stopped. A gasp of shock was released as the mask on his face glitched.

“What’s going on?” Grimm screamed, “What?” Clutching his head, Grimm’s mask glitched and several faces flickered by. James and Sarah stared on in shock.

“What is this?” Grimm yelled as he doubled over from pain. The SSC agent and assistant attorney watched as Grimm ripped the mask from his face.

Grimm panted from the onslaught of pain. James and Sarah looked at the unmasked face of Grimm in confusion. The veins of his face bulged out and his eyes were bloodshot. The two looked on in horror as Grimm continued to adjust to his pain.

“There he is!” An officer exclaimed as teams of them poured out of the elevators. The first and second wave of officers all aimed their guns at Grimm.

Noticing he was outnumbered and his mask out of commission, Grimm charged towards the building’s window. Firing multiple shots at the glass he then crashed into it. James rushed over to the window to see if Grimm survived. Adrenaline left Sarah and she collapsed onto the ground, her body shaking.

Over in the SSC computer room, Eddie and Lennox watched on the surveillance cameras. Eddie quickly trying to identify the attacker by running his photo through their databases. Lennox, however, kept his eyes fixed on James.

James made his way from the window to Sarah and asked, “What are you doing here, Sarah?”

The girl looked up from her collapsed state and answered, “I got caught in the crossfire downstairs.” Looking down in a bit of guilt she said, “But I felt I had to go after him.”

“Why would you do something so reckless?”

Again, Sarah glanced down but stood up and retrieved a small case from her purse. Once she opened it, she pulled out a stack of photos,

“This was hidden in Monica’s room.”

James took the photos and alarmed at the sight of the same mask Grimm had. These photos were taken of different people, all of which looked to be experiencing some kind of side effect.

“He had the same thing.” Sarah stated as she eyed Grimm’s escape route.

James looked in the other direction and found Lennox walking over to the two. At the same time, Richard Burner exited his car and took in the sight of the SSC building. The massacre that took place at the entrance. Richard watched as the officers who weren’t dead receive medical care. Those that were dead were respectfully laid side by side to one another and blankets draped over their bodies.

“My god…” He muttered.


	5. Chapter 5

Lennox, James, and Sarah all sat in an SSC conference room. James stood by the door while Lennox sat on one side of the table, and Sarah the other. She had laid out Monica’s hidden photos before Gallagher.

“The attacker was Grimm?” Lennox skeptically asked. Adjusting his glasses before beginning again, “He died in prison. You should know that, since you arrested him.” Lennox directed at James.

“But it was definitely him.” James insisted. He knew what he saw and being the one to arrest Grimm made him more certain towards the attacker’s identity.

“Three years ago…” Sarah began, “Grimm’s arrest was big news, even among the prosecutors.”

 _James had swiped the knew bullets that Eddie ranted on and on about. A bullet that once embedded into the criminal, would activate a GPS system. Eddie designed it himself and couldn’t be prouder of it._ This is something I could definitely use _, James thought to himself as he stole the bullets. Especially with his current case. The macabre artist, slaughtering his victims and posing their body afterwards. At first it was not clear to SSC why the killer took their time to arrange the body as if it was modeling. Their answer came when James caught the killer in the act. The_ macabre artist was a fitting title _, James thought. He watched in horror as the killer stood before the carnage, painting it. James held back a gag and then shouted,_

_“Freeze! This is the SSC. You are under arrest for the murders of Jennifer Lowe, Spencer Creagh, Ashley LaRoche, and William Downer.”_

_A delirious laugh sounded through the air at James’s statement. The killer turned around and with a rictus smile stared down James._

_The killer was a man, he looked about twenty-five years old. He had long platinum blond hair and piercing blue eyes. He was tall and well built. He held a paintbrush in one hand and a jar full of something red in the other._ Blood. He’s using the victim’s blood as paint _, James realized. James’ resolve strengthened at this realization and gripped his gun tighter._

_“Remember James, we need to bring him in alive.” Eddie’s voice filtered out of his earpiece._

_“Yeah, I know!” James replied to Eddie, “Put down the brush and jar and step away from the canvas.” He yelled at the killer._

_“You’re interrupting my process.” The man pouted but complied. He met James’ eyes and his expression reeled at the sight._

_“Oh, that face you’re making,” The killer moaned at it, “I want to paint it. Will you model for me?” He asked before charging at the SSC agent._

_Without hesitation, James fired his gun. Eddie and Lennox shouting in his ear. The killer was pushed back by the force of the bullet that lodged in his shoulder. Grunting the killer decided to take off. Before chasing after the man, James went over to the latest victim and checked for a pulse. None._

_“Send a unit to the crime scene. The victim is dead.” James yelled to Eddie._

_Pissed off by this loss, James chased after the killer, but he lost the man in a dark alley._

_“Eddie,” James stated, “Turn on the GPS system for your new bullets.”_

_“You thief! You swiped the bullets when I showed them to you!” Eddie exclaimed, but from the sound of typing, James knew he was doing as he asked._

_“Okay I’m sending the GPS location to your phone.” Eddie stated and James ran back to his car._

_The GPS bullet did its job perfectly and James pulled his car up to a mansion. Back up would not arrive for another ten minutes._ That’s too long _, James muttered to himself and pushed open the gate._

_Upon reaching the door, he found it opened slightly as if the killer knew he was coming. James pulled out his gun and after entering the house, he cautiously looked around. Walking up the wooden staircase, James noticed the paintings decorating the hall. They were grotesques, morbid, macabre as they all depicted a posed murdered victim. James walked on until he reached the master bedroom._

_“I’m so happy that you found me!” The killer exclaimed, “How did you find me?”_

_“You are under arrest! Put your hands behind your back and turn around.” James demanded as he trained his gun on the blond._

_“The face your making is giving me inspiration!” He said with a serpentine smile, “Who are you again?”_

_“I am agent James Blood with the SSC.” The killer delighted at James’ name, “You are under arrest for a series of murders. Put your hands behind your back and turn around.”_

_“James, James, James! For catching me I think you deserve a reward! You can arrest me, if and only if you can beat me. If I win, well I need a new model and you’re such an inspiration to me.” The killer stated and then charged at James._

_They fought and James got the upper hand in the battle by punching the man’s wounded shoulder. The blond collapsed onto the ground and James pinned him down long enough to handcuff him._

_Later on, it was revealed that Grimm, the killer, had a lot more victims than previously known. The paintings in his house were all analyzed and revealed more victims. The prosecutors had more than enough evidence to sentence Grimm with prison for life. During the trial, James revealed how he tracked down Grimm with the GPS bullet, and the killer could not be more delighted by this news. Grimm spent his whole trial gleefully staring at James, his eyes never left him once and that left James feeling very uncomfortable._

“I wouldn’t mistake that face.” Sarah continued, snapping James out of his memories.


	6. Chapter 6

“You, too, huh?” Lennox said with a sigh. He shook his head as if to dispel any further disbelief towards Grimm’s resurrection, “So, _this_ allows him to change his face?” Glaring down at the unethical photos, “And…this was hidden in Monica’s room?”

Lennox reached down and grabbed the photo of a man with a mask on his face.

“Masks…” The man muttered to himself. _The paperwork is going to be a nightmare to deal with._

Meanwhile, Grimm made his way to the master bedroom of his countryside mansion, his childhood home. It was a three-story red-brick Victorian style building, it stood guarded behind creaky iron gates, a pathway with lights led up to the mahogany doors. The foyer housed a stair case that parted to both sides of the room, but an eerie family portrait hung on the wall above the staircase.

The SSC office had deemed the whole house off limits after evidence found in the house proved it was initially used during Grimm’s first murders. Some of the evidence turned up did not match any of the victims that were found. In light of this, the SSC seized the entire property and to this day it remained being analyzed by their forensic team.

During the time between his escape from the facility and his attack on the SSC, Grimm stayed in his mansion. The guard detail on the building had been pulled and the forensic team was busy working on more relevant evidence for active case investigations.

Opening the doors to the bedroom once more, Grimm walked over to his unfinished self-portrait. A haunting pale white with red to accentuate it. The portrait displayed his heart, a _white_ heart. Smiling to himself he thought, _I need more red_.

Back at the SSC building, Sarah elaborated more on her findings,

“After finding these pictures and witnessing what I saw.” She paused for a moment to harden her conviction for what she said next, “I believe Monica’s death wasn’t due to heart failure.”

James noted the way her hands clenched in front of her, and what she just declared interested him.

“Grimm had the same mask,” Sarah continued, “He’s our best lead for finding out what happened.”

Lennox nodded at this statement before looking at James. The gaze he pinned the man with conveyed that Sarah was not to be included in pursuing _their_ lead. James nodded in agreement.

“Sarah, would you leave this to us?” Lennox prodded.

Sarah looked genuinely shocked by Lennox’s question. _What? After all I have uncovered? I just gave the SSC a plausible lead and proof that there is more to Monica’s death!_ Sarah yelled internally but remained quiet as Lennox continued speaking,

“This case has too many unknowns. I want to avoid putting you in danger. Of course, we would report all our findings, including Monica’s case, to you. I’d like you to leave this to the SSC.” He hoped that would be enough to convince Sarah to stay out of harm’s way. She was an assistant attorney, not a trained SSC agent like James.

Sarah glanced over to James to see if he shared his commanding officer’s opinion. He did.

Grimm, at this point, was painting. He used the blood from his bullet wounds to add the red coloring he wanted to his portrait. It was all _wrong_ though. _Wrong, wrong, wrong!_ He thought to himself as he clawed at his shoulder wound to produce more blood.

“Yes…” This is what the painting needed, “Red…I need _real_ red!” He realized.

Grimm smiled his rictus smile as he fished out the GPS bullet from his pocket. Loading it into the pistol, Grimm aimed the gun at his right thigh and fired. The bullet was activated and now all he had to do was wait for James. _He will have the red I need._

“Come, James! Yes, come!” He yelled at the blinking bullet. _He will give this painting its finishing touch._ He laughed to himself. _Maybe I'll give him the mask to make things interesting. Yes, yes, yes! Come, James! I need your red. You'll be my greatest masterpiece yet._


End file.
